Miss me? No? Douchebags. Anyway, it's nice to be back. Thank you all for the above feedback for WrestleMania. It was a fun show to write, and I'm glad that despite the odd personal preference, people seemed to enjoy it. Anyway, a lot's happened since I've been away, the biggest thing being that I finally finished university. Yay for me. Anyway, hopefully I can do some solid writing over the summer and we'll make it to Backlash. I've already written the next Raw, and the majority of SmackDown is in the books too. I'll wait to finish it before I post a Raw preview. But for now, here's some news and notes to get the thread going again.

*****

~Post WrestleMania News, Notes and Spoilers~

Less than 24 hours removed from WrestleMania XXIII, the feeling within the company is one of general positivity, with many feeling that the event was a relative success. One major surprise was at how well received the main event featuring Batista and Edge went over with the live crowd. Although there was clamouring within the creative team to give the WWE Championship Triple Threat Match the main event slot, giving Rob Van Dam a home state win in the process, the strong pull of tradition in having the Royal Rumble winner compete in the main event won out, with Batista and Edge thankfully delivering. The feud between the two is almost certainly set to continue, with the ref bump spot inserted into the match specifically to provide a sense of controversy to the finish, giving a seamless reason for the story to continue.

With Rob Van Dam now the WWE Champion, the creative team are now charged with dreaming up potential future opponents for Van Dam to main event pay per views against. Indeed, names such as John Cena, Bobby Lashley and Triple H are already under consideration. One name that is strongly being considered is that of Shawn Michaels, especially given Michaels' display at WrestleMania. A Van Dam/Michaels feud is a strong case to headline Raw over the summer months, especially with the creative nature of Michaels' heel turn and character, and the fact that the pair have never worked a program together before.

The SmackDown main event scene is set to heat up over the next few months, with Mr. Kennedy, The Undertaker and Umaga all delivering sterling performances during WrestleMania. Despite his defeat to The Undertaker, Umaga has impressed many backstage, with a title run at some point during 2007 almost a guarantee. Creative have been charged with the task of keeping alive the aura of invincibility that surrounds Umaga, despite the fact that his undefeated streak has ended. With plans already in place for a rematch between the two, it's possible that Undertaker could step away for a month or so to allow him to recharge the batteries before appearing full time over the summer. As for Kennedy, he is set to become a number one priority over the next few months, with even talk of making him the number two face on the brand behind Batista, with the hope that the character could develop and become the star of the blue brand.

The rumours regarding Chris Benoit appear to be true, that he is indeed scheduled to hang up the boots this summer. Benoit has been complaining of neck pain for a while now, and requested one last main event run before bowing out. It has already been rumoured that if Edge ever takes the title away from Batista, that he could be credited as the man to end Benoit's career. Either way, expect a strong push for Benoit in the next few weeks, leading to himself becoming involved in the World Heavyweight Championship situation.

Kenny Dykstra and Torrie Wilson look set to dominate the midcard on Raw for the next few months, as Dykstra is a youngster viewed with real star potential. By teaming him up with Wilson, creative are reportedly hoping to spark some of the young, arrogant persona that helped establish Shawn Michaels early in his singles career, with Torrie playing the role of Sensational Sherry. Although there are certainly no plans for Dykstra to play any sort of toyboy role, he is certainly one to keep an eye on as we head towards SummerSlam.

Likewise can be said for Matt Hardy, with everyone backstage delighted to see him rewarded for his years of service to the company. After a rough few years, many people backstage have noted that Hardy has the old fire back, and he looks set for a long run as United States Champion.

The John Cena/Bobby Lashley/Mr. McMahon feud is set to continue for the next few months at least, with Cena set to continue to battle the odds against the McMahon Family and Lashley. One potential dream match is already being looked at for WrestleMania XXIV, with the preparations for that match set to come from the current Cena/McMahon feud. Who Cena could be scheduled to face is a closely guarded secret right now, but it is at least encouraging to hear that plans are already at an advanced stage for next year's big show.

One surprise decision came during the Cruiserweight Championship Match, where Gregory Helms retained the title over Bryan Danielson. Although the plan is very much still in favour of Danielson being the man to end Helms' epic title reign, Vince McMahon himself felt that the magnitude of a Danielson victory would have been lost in the midcard shuffle of WrestleMania. Indeed, both men have apparently already been made aware that the pair will meet again on pay per view for the gold, most likely at Judgment Day, where the two will be given ample time to create a masterpiece that will provide a fitting end to Helms' reign while also giving Danielson's reign a great start.

Thankfully all involved in the Money in the Bank Ladder Match came through it safely, aside from the usual bumps and bruises associated with the annual WrestleMania stunt match. The decision to have Randy Orton grab the briefcase stems from the desire to have the briefcase back in the hands of a heel after Rob Van Dam held it during 2006. Orton is set to be given plenty of feuds to keep him relative, with the most obvious one being Jeff Hardy for now. There is a strong sense of determination to promote Orton and have his cash in come out of nowhere, which will require his attentions to be elsewhere.

An addition to the WWE roster was discovered over the weekend, as Ring of Honor's Claudio Castagnoli was seen backstage at Ford Field. Castagnoli was rumoured to have signed a WWE contract back in November, 2006. However, it was then reported that the contract had been torn up due to legal reasons surrounding Castagnoli's visa. However, the news coming out of Ford Field over the weekend is that those visa issues have been cleared up and Castagnoli has now signed on the dotted line, inking a contract a few weeks ago. Castagnoli has been working out down in OVW, and will do so for at least another month or so before being brought up to the main roster.

One man who won't be making an appearance anytime soon is Ric Flair. Having put over Mr. Kennedy during their match, Flair has been in talks with Vince McMahon regarding taking a month or so off. It is not believed to be for health reasons, rather a desire from both men to ensure that Flair's character stays fresh in the eyes of the fans. Flair is expected to be away from Raw until at least after Backlash, where upon his return he is set to feature heavily in the Raw upper card.

And finally, the upcoming pay per view schedule has been released, with one huge surprise jumping out at everybody. Since buying the rights to WCW six years, Vince McMahon has apparently been waiting for the right time to unleash his version of the famed War Games concept, and it appears that finally now in 2007, we're going to see what the WWE can do with the gimmick match. It will certainly be interesting to see how creative introduce the War Games concept, as previous matches such as the Elimination Chamber or the Money in the Bank Ladder Match have all had a storyline reason for their introduction.